Is Don Stowell Elementary a good school?

Don Stowell Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.5% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Don Stowell Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 517 students attended Don Stowell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Don Stowell Elementary?

Students at Don Stowell Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 4% White, 3% African American, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Don Stowell Elementary

Summary:

Don Stowell Elementary is a public elementary school in Merced, California, serving 517 students in grades K-6 and part of the Merced City Elementary District.

Don Stowell Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with significantly lower academic performance than the district and state averages. In 2023-2024, only 19.33% of Don Stowell students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 33.33% for the Merced City Elementary district and 47.04% for the state. The school also has a higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (97.87%) and English Language Learners, as well as a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, from 10.6% in 2017-2018 to 33.0% in 2022-2023.

Nearby schools within the Merced City Elementary District, such as Ada Givens Elementary, Leontine Gracey Elementary, and Luther Burbank Elementary, generally perform better academically and have lower percentages of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to Don Stowell Elementary. Addressing the challenges at Don Stowell Elementary, such as through targeted interventions and support, could be crucial for improving the educational outcomes for its students.

Detail:

Public K-6

251 East 11th St.
Merced, CA 95340-6228

(209) 381-2803

District: Merced City Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5542^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,786

Student/teacher ratio: 23.4

Number of students: 517

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.4%

White:

3.7%

African American:

3.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 97.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Don Stowell Elementary ranks worse than 94.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.12. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.4%), White (3.7%), African American (3.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 97.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Don Stowell Elementary is 23.4, which is the 4^th best among 13 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Don Stowell Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Don Stowell Elementary is $7,786, which is the 5^th highest among 13 elementary schools in the Merced City Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Don Stowell Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Don Stowell Elementary 5542^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Don Stowell Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Merced City Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Merced City Elementary 1195^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Don Stowell Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	18.29	4093^rd	4809	14.9%
2005	25.38	3605^th	4822	25.2%
2006	22.45	3824^th	4818	20.6%
2007	16.81	4515^th	5113	11.7%
2008	20.47	4307^th	5113	15.8%
2009	12.51	4880^th	5193	6.0%
2010	21.41	4504^th	5314	15.2%
2011	26.82	4200^th	5377	21.9%
2012	21.22	4574^th	5390	15.1%
2013	16.78	4938^th	5530	10.7%
2015	11.18	5405^th	5611	3.7%
2016	9.79	5453^rd	5614	2.9%
2017	10.33	5471^st	5692	3.9%
2018	12.69	5284^th	5662	6.7%
2019	14.08	5306^th	5789	8.3%
2022	10.99	5670^th	5883	3.6%
2023	12.01	5579^th	5874	5.0%
2024	12.12	5542^nd	5862	5.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.81	2799^th	3246	13.8%
2019	30.63	2442^nd	3275	25.4%
2022	29.40	2658^th	3311	19.7%
2023	45.69	1442^nd	3250	55.6%
2024	47.20	1344^th	3160	57.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	17.92	2500^th	2634	5.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.03	4595^th	5084	9.6%
2019	19.79	4580^th	5173	11.5%
2022	13.93	5024^th	5264	4.6%
2023	14.70	5068^th	5374	5.7%
2024	15.53	5105^th	5511	7.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.46	5168^th	5413	4.5%
2019	15.79	4966^th	5492	9.6%
2022	14.23	5247^th	5635	6.9%
2023	13.47	5280^th	5617	6.0%
2024	12.96	5282^nd	5605	5.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.36	4934^th	5431	9.2%
2019	14.06	5114^th	5510	7.2%
2022	10.08	5547^th	5663	2.0%
2023	12.53	5341^st	5650	5.5%
2024	13.09	5301^st	5636	5.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Don Stowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.63	4483^rd	4830	7.2%
2019	18.00	4505^th	4963	9.2%
2022	13.17	4893^rd	5084	3.8%
2023	14.72	4808^th	5098	5.7%
2024	16.85	4664^th	5102	8.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Don Stowell Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1999	53	67	75	206	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
2000	43	66	71	230	1	n/a	n/a	0	411
2001	44	68	72	229	2	n/a	n/a	0	415
2002	42	52	72	235	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
2003	42	52	72	235	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
2004	18	20	72	318	1	n/a	n/a	0	429
2005	21	25	51	317	1	n/a	n/a	1	416
2006	17	34	44	325	0	n/a	n/a	1	421
2007	14	27	48	349	0	n/a	n/a	0	438
2008	17	26	41	362	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	446
2009	22	34	34	370	0	1	3	0	464
2010	16	32	34	436	0	0	1	0	519
2011	12	31	42	435	0	1	1	0	522
2012	24	37	28	471	0	0	3	0	563
2013	18	32	19	418	0	1	4	0	492
2014	23	24	21	460	0	1	9	0	538
2015	32	41	20	440	0	0	6	0	539
2016	22	29	18	488	0	0	11	0	568
2017	15	29	18	519	0	0	6	0	587
2018	30	24	18	520	2	0	11	0	605
2019	40	24	20	500	2	0	12	0	598
2020	28	20	22	543	2	0	8	0	623
2021	21	16	22	507	1	0	8	0	575
2022	19	15	16	474	0	0	8	0	532
2023	19	17	16	457	0	0	8	0	517

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Don Stowell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	401	21.1	19.0	93.8
2000	411	19.6	21.0	94.6
2001	415	20.0	20.8	90.4
2002	401	22.0	18.2	92
2003	401	22.0	18.2	92
2004	429	22.0	19.5	93.5
2005	416	23.0	18.1	95.7
2006	421	24.0	17.5	96.2
2007	438	24.0	18.3	97.7
2008	446	24.0	18.6	89.7
2009	464	25.0	17.8	94.4
2010	519	23.0	22.5	99.2
2011	522	n/a	n/a	98.1
2012	563	23.0	24.4	n/a
2013	492	21.0	23.4	97.4
2014	538	23.8	22.5	95.7
2015	539	23.0	23.4	97.6
2016	568	25.0	22.7	98.1
2017	587	23.0	25.5	98.6
2018	605	23.4	25.8	97.5
2019	598	24.1	24.8	95.8
2020	623	n/a	n/a	94.1
2021	575	24.9	23.0	87
2022	532	20.1	26.4	91.5
2023	517	22.0	23.4	97.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Don Stowell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	401	21.1	19.0	93.8
2000	411	19.6	21.0	94.6
2001	415	20.0	20.8	90.4
2002	401	22.0	18.2	92
2003	401	22.0	18.2	92
2004	429	22.0	19.5	93.5
2005	416	23.0	18.1	95.7
2006	421	24.0	17.5	96.2
2007	438	24.0	18.3	97.7
2008	446	24.0	18.6	89.7
2009	464	25.0	17.8	94.4
2010	519	23.0	22.5	99.2
2011	522	n/a	n/a	98.1
2012	563	23.0	24.4	n/a
2013	492	21.0	23.4	97.4
2014	538	23.8	22.5	95.7
2015	539	23.0	23.4	97.6
2016	568	25.0	22.7	98.1
2017	587	23.0	25.5	98.6
2018	605	23.4	25.8	97.5
2019	598	24.1	24.8	95.8
2020	623	n/a	n/a	94.1
2021	575	24.9	23.0	87
2022	532	20.1	26.4	91.5
2023	517	22.0	23.4	97.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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